2013 HGTV Smart Home : Front Yard Pictures

About the Front Yard:

Drawing from the design of Jacksonville Beach's original shingle style vacation homes, HGTV Smart Home 2013 is nestled into the landscape, with a wide front porch that invites relaxation while providing shade from the intense Florida sun. In keeping with shingle style design, a light tower in the front façade mimics the look of a cupola or widow's walk and a detached garage with cupola replicates the look of a boathouse.

An oxidized iron clad wood table is set for a midday snack. Blown-glass tableware, pottery and linens hint at the interior color palette.

Coquina style exterior cladding, which references the construction of the earliest homes in St. Augustine, lends visual interest and tells a story of the First Coast and its architectural history.

Planted between the picket fence and the front porch to draw attention, needle palm will grow to a height of 4-1/2 feet and provide needed massing in the landscape.

Maintenance free Asiatic jasmine replaces sod in the front yard. "We're taking that line between the structure and the natural environment and softening it so it feels like there is not a firm and precise break line," says landscape architect Jeremy Marquis.

A driveway clad in permeable pavers leads to a boathouse style garage and the home's family entrance, where an outdoor shower provides a space to rinse off and refresh before entering the home.

A planter strip of dwarf Mondo grass stabilizes the surrounding soil and minimizes the amount of pavers used in the driveway area.